Twisted Fates
by TimelessDetective
Summary: Female Naruto. After the recovery of Sasuke, the village is ready to take him back with open arms. After being shown unfair treatment following the Uchiha's return, Naruko requests a mission to give her time to get her mind off things. But when she disappears, what will the village think?
1. Chapter 1

Ok, so I've read alot of fics where they've had Naruto as a girl; either as Naruko or Naru or something along the lines of that... Well, since I havent written anything since my last fic...So I started thinking and here it is! Twisted Fates. They way Ive thought it over...im going to have a sequel to this...my friend is trying to turn this one into a manga. Shes bought the software and everything, so it'll be interesting to see how this turns out, so I'll keep you guys posted on that. Anyway, here it is.

Disclaimer: i do not own naruto or its characters or settings or whatnot. But i do own this fic, the plot for it, and any OCs I may or may not decide to use.

* * *

"Tsunade-sama!" Shizune burst through the door into the Hokage's office, followed by two anbu; they wore the hawk and cat masks. The Sannin looked up from her paperwork, glad for the distraction from the most dulling task in the world.

"What is it, Shizune? It better be important, it's almost time for my sake break." She smirked as she stood up and walked over to the side table which held her precious sake.

"Tsunade, team Kakashi and Yamato have reported in; they're bringing the youngest Uchiha back into custody."

To say Tsunade was surprised would have been considered an understatement at that moment. "What? So, everything went successful?"

Shizune nodded and straighten herself. "Yes, they had found him severely wounded and unconscious at the scene of the fight and-"

"What fight?" The medic-nin raised a delicate brow.

"It was between him and the eldest Uchiha, Hokage-sama. Kakashi has indeed reported the finding of Itachi's body." The hawk anbu spoke up.

"Really now? Hmm, this is getting to be interesting." she muttered to no one in particular. "So the brat managed to kill him." She poured herself some sake, she knew she was gonna need a major pick-me-up after all this is done with.

Shizune spoke up, "We should know more once he is handed over to the interrogators."

"Is there a chance of him escaping?"

"No 'mam, as of right now he is still in an unconscious state, probably for his overuse of the Sharingan during the fight." Tsunade nodded, satisfied with the situation for now.

"Hawk, Cat." She addressed the two anbu.

"Yes sir!" They stood at attention, ready for their orders.

"I want you to send an anbu team to collect both Uchiha. I don't want a risk a chance that any of their allies might show up. The anbu nodded and disappeared without a trace.

"Shizune."

The younger woman snapped to attention, Ton Ton looked confusedly from below her.

"Tell the medical staff to get ready. I want to make sure it is the real Itachi and not another fake, and when the anbu gets back with the other brat I want him checked out and his chakra bound, got it? We need him for information and I don't want to take the chance of him escaping again."

"Yes, right away." She dashed back out the door, the pig following close behind.

Once they were gone, Tsunade sighed and finally took a sip from her sake bottle before walking over and collapsing in her chair.

"Its official, this is definitely going to be a pain in the ass."

"Sakura, is he up yet?" Naruko asked for what seemed to be the hundredth time as they made their way through the trees back to Konoha.

The pink haired Konouchi gave an aggravated sigh at her teammate's continuous attempts toward conversation.

"No, he's not, and by the looks of it he'll probably be out for a few days at the very least."

Team 7 plus Yamato, and Yamato's clone who was carrying Sasuke, were told they were to meet with a team of anbu who would take Sasuke to the hospital and then to his interrogators once he awoke. They couldn't carry Itachi's dead body with them so they used a genjutsu to disguise his body on sight, and then once they met with the anbu Kakashi would tell them where to go.

"They're not going to kill him are they?" The blonde asked quietly.

Silence was her only answer before Kakashi cleared his throat to speak.

"He is a missing-nin, and that fact alone is enough to get him the capital punishment, so he'll either be sentenced to death, or get the life sentence."

"I highly doubt they'll kill him." They turned their direction towards Sai, who continued to speak. "He is after all, the remaining heir to the Uchiha blood line, so I doubt the council would want to lose that."

"He has a point, but it won't really matter if Sasuke doesn't wish to cooperate with the village, so at this point all we can do is just see how this all unfolds." Yamato told the group.

"Wait, he killed Itachi and Oro-teme! Doesn't that count for something? I mean, they were both threats to the village, and the only reason he left in the first place was to kill his brother. So now all that is over with, shouldn't things just be fine by now?"

"As I said, it all depends." Yamato replied.

Sakura looked down sadly; she knew that the blonde cared for him like a brother. Even now, she herself had long since gotten over her childhood crush and still considered him a very close friend of hers, and she too would be devastated it he got the death sentence.

Suddenly Kakashi stopped, and held out his hand to signal the others to do the same, and almost immediately after, 5 anbu appeared with Hawk and Cat among them; the other 3 wore the masks of the Bear, Badger, and Parrot.

"Team Kakashi, you have the Uchiha?" Hawk asked.

Kakashi nodded towards the clone who stepped forward to hand Sasuke over. Hawk nodded towards bear who stepped forward and took him from the clone, which disappeared afterwards. "Where is Itachi?"

"We had to leave his body on sight, but here's the location and instructions to get it." The masked-nin took out a scroll and handed it over to Hawk. As the Anbu looked over the scroll, Naruko looked back towards the others and gasped.

"What are you doing? You can't do that to him!" She yelled in their direction.

Sakura and Sai turned towards their teammate's direction when the Bear replied back gruffly. "They're just chakra binds; it won't hurt him unless he tries to break them of course."

"But that's not fair, its-"

"Naruko, that's enough." Kakashi turned toward his old pupil, and to his surprise, Naruko actually grew quiet, her face looking sadly towards the ground. He took this time to nod towards the anbu who took their cue and left.

"Listen, it's going to be fine." Sakura put a comforting hand on the blondes shoulder. "Try not to worry, I mean, we have Tsunade."

Kakashi and Yamato glanced briefly at each other, both knowing the same thing: Even if she was Hokage, she still had to obey the laws set out for the village, so she could only do so much.

Naruko gave a small reassuring smile. "Yeah, let's get going."

Sai looked at her, a sort of concerned expression on his face; well as close as he could get. Yamato noticed, and he wasn't surprised since she had been the one to break him out of his emotionless life.

"Don't worry, she's fine." He whispered to him, and he got an absent minded nod in response.

"Let's head out." Kakashi finally spoke up. The rest of the team nodded, and they were off once again.

* * *

Ok, end chp.1 XD It starts off a little slow I shall warn, but it shall get better later on.

Sry for how short this first chp. is, but im running low on time right now. I need to start reading my book for my book analysis. It's about Greek Civil Wars, Yay.


	2. Chapter 2

Oks, so chp 2 is finally here. Sry it took long... \ really am.

Its just im so busy...and you guys probably read that alot huh? heheh... well I dont know wht to say...oh! there is the disclaimer...but everyone knows that by heart now, no? but just because you love to read it here it is:

Disclaimer: don't own naruto p but if i did...it'd be alot different... xD lol

ON TO THE STORY!! WARNING: SHORT CHP. SRY!!

* * *

She never liked hospitals, never did, never will.

To her, they just smelled of the ill, and sometimes, the diseased.

She had wanted to get her medical exam over with quickly so she could go grab some lunch and then maybe a nice nap.

Naruko sighed. "Can I just go now, Pleeeeease? Im done already with mine so can't I so eat, im hungry!" as if on cue her stomach growled.

"Can't you think of something else besides your stomach?" Sakura sighed as well. She was currently healing up a small cut on her arm.

The blonde ignored her teammate as she turned to the masked Jonin leaning up against the wall opposite them; he was lost in his little orange book fantasies.

"Kakashi-sensei, could I go now?"

Kakashi looked up, the usual bored expression on his face, but then, his only visible eye closed, turning into an "n." (A/N: like this- n.n -like you know how it is in the anime and stuff sometimes? I didnt know how'd I write that...so it just ends up like that, but as long as you understand... xD lol) "Sure." He turned back to his book.

Faster than anyone could reply to this, the blonde teen had already disappeared; the rest of team 7 sweat dropped. (A/N: once again, something else you'll see alot in my fics. for those of you who somehow dont know what that is, its in all animes/mangas. something like—(-)" see? if you cant visual that. go on photobucket or something and type it in, thats all im saying. anyway...)

"She seems...different somehow." Sai stated blankly.

"What are you talking about? She's the same as always." Sakura looked at him curiously.

"I don't know, but you probably didn't notice-"

"What didn't we notice?"

"Well, she seemed...a little bit off a few moments before." he shrugged his shoulders.

"Hmm, you probably imagined it," She chuckled as she turned to their other sensei. "Right, Yamato- sensei."

Said Jonin nodded. "Yeah, probably." He cleared his throat. "Now it you excuse me, Im going to turn in the mission reports." He did the necessary hand sign and disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

Don't you love page breaks?

"Ah, Naruko, the usual I presume?" Teuchi asked cheerfully as Naruko walked in and took a stool at her favorite ramen joint.

"Please." She replied, equally cheerful.

"Hmm, Naruko, you seem to be in higher spirits today." Ayame noticed as she leaned against the counter. "Did a mission go well?" She knew she hit the mark as she watched Naruko's smile grow; if that was even possible.

"Yes! It's so awesome! We got-" she stopped mid-sentence. She didn't know if she was allowed to tell anyone about bringing Sasuke back, Tsunade probably would want to keep it under wraps for awhile. Then again, they were two of the most trustworthy people she knew...

"You got what?" Ayame's dad was back with Naruko's order. He set it in front of her, Naruto dug in viciously. After a few gulps, she was done and wanting another one. Ayame, as well as other females, were quite jealous; she ate so much but never gained a pound.

"Can you guys," Teuchi set another bowl down, which its contents once again vanished as quickly as the once before. She wiped her mouth with a napkin before leaning in closer. "Can you guys keep a secret?" She asked quietly. Her eyes were a sparkling, brighter azure color. Whatever it was, it was something big, something that she was just overwhelmed about; they nodded in response, and the Nin motioned for them to lean in to hear.

"We brought Sasuke back!" She whispered excitedly.

"The Uchiha is back!" They gasped.

"Shh, shh! Quiet, Im pretty sure no ones supposed to know, so you have to keep it on the D.L. okay?" She quickly explained her voice still low.

"Sorry." Ayame apologized. She exchanged glances with her dad, glances that went unnoticed by our favorite blonde. They both understood what the other was thinking. Whats so good about the Uchiha being back; he betrayed the village, almost killed the person who was so happy about him being back, he was so rude, and plus he didn't like ramen all that much!

"That's, err, great." It's the only think he could think to say.

"I know right?"

"Here, why don't you finish your meal, Naruko, we can all talk about this later." Ayame suggested; she set two more bowls in front of her. "These are on me." She whispered.

"Oh my gosh, really? You didn't have too-"

"Oh no, it's fine, eat up. You've had a long day." Really, she enjoyed having the teen around; it was like having a little sister.

"Thanks for the food!" She took her chopsticks and once again devoured the noodles.

As the three continued on there doings, they failed to notice an astonished looking couple exchange a quick glance before putting their money on the counter and leaving.

YaYpAgEbReAk

"Did you hear" voices murmured throughout the crowded market streets.

"Hear what?"

"Yeah, I can't believe it." The voices bounced back in forth through the crowd, attracting more listeners to those curious to learn.

"Believe what?"

"I can't believe you haven't heard." voices mocked in fake astonishment like it was all over news.

"Just spill it!"

"Uchiha is back-"

"I heard Kakashi's teams brought back Sasuke. Remember what was said early, he killed that Sannin, Orochimaru, and I hear a lot of others."

"So he's back?"

"He's back."

"Sasuke Uchiha is back."

Faster than one could ever predict; the news of the missing-nin's return spread throughout the Hidden Leaf.

* * *

Yay, so I finally got around to Chp. 2!! And it's so short... T-T sry all. But I have chp 3-5 in another notebook...that my other friend has...and shes reading another fic I have...and that one has 23 chps...so Idk when I'll get it back, but shes been reading it since last week so maybe soon. But I can say no more Chps at least this week; this week is insane!! A book analysis due Friday and oral presentations for it all this week...Mid Terms Thursday and Friday...band practice tomorrow, Tuesday, and Thursday till 5...play offs in band also Friday...we have to memorize the whole pre-game, half time, and stands tunes, but Im sure im okay...omg and Heart of Dixie is on Sat...and im ranting again!! Dx Im Sry!!

ANYWAY-- will post next chp as soon as possible...it will be longer. XD

until then...

Aiko Cho


	3. Chapter 3

Wow…Sorry for the lateness my peoples, it has been awhile. ;] Since it's been forever since I updated, I have been busy reading, watching, and checking into other anime and manga series. Im sad to say I've lost touch with my inner Naruto fan-girl. :[ sad right? Well, I am working on reconnecting! Im getting back into Naruto and these fics. There is not Beta...I am warning you now, I havent really done all that much proof reading...I just wanted to type this up and throw it out. Im tired...Sorry. ^^'

Disclaimer: Don't own Naruto. Though, it's be totally epic if I did.

Regular conversation: "…."

Thoughts: _"…."_

Kyuubi:** "…."**

**

* * *

**

"So you are telling me you had nothing to do with this?"

Tsunade stared at the blonde standing in front of her, foot tapping impatiently.

"Yes Baa-Chan! I'm telling you I didn't tell anyone except-"

"Except" who? The whole village?"

Naruko winced at the tone of the Sannin's voice. "No, I only spoke of it to Teuchi and Ayame down at Ichiraku!" Suddenly Naruko's eyes widened. "Oh no, what if someone heard us!"

Tsunade sarcastically clapped her hands. "Good job! So the award for most obvious conclusion goes too…" The young teen childishly glared at the older woman who then sighed and leaned back into her chair.

"This is great…I wanted to keep this under wraps for a while, but it is pointless now."

"I'm sorry." Naruko apologized quietly.

Tsunade's expression softened; she knew the girl hadn't meant any harm. "Nah, its alright, it would have happened eventually." The other chuckled.

"Yeah, but it didn't." The young Jinchūriki sighed, running a hand through one her blonde 'ponytails.' Silence then reigned in the room before it was disrupted by voices outside.

"Excuse me, Danzou-Sama; you can't just burst in here like this, you-" Shizune's voice sounded somewhat irritated, though it was slight.

"I don't care, I have about every right to, and we need to talk."

The elder opened the door without bothering to knock and strolled in to stand next to Naruko who stepped away to stand to the side of the room; he ignored her.

"What are you doing here? Can't you see I was in the middle of something?" She motioned to Naruko.

"I'm sure, though you will make time for me." He spoke gruffly.

"Well then, what can I do for you, Danzou?" The Hokage asked in mock politeness.

"You know very well what," he snapped." What is this about Sasuke Uchiha?"

"I really don't think that concerns you." Shizune spoke up as she took her regular position by Tsunade's desk.

"It concerns me just as it might concern the rest of this village-"

"The Uchiha brat is currently resting in extensive care at the hospital. He has my best and trusted anbu guarding him, but because of his current state he won't be fully conscious for the next few of days." Tsunade spoke with total authority in her voice. "Once he does regain conscious he shall be taken into questioned and a punishment decided."

What the boy needs is an award, not a punishment." Danzou told her. "Not only did he kill traitorous genius Itachi Uchiha, but also the other traitor Orochimaru, the Sannin who was the cause of the Third's death. Both were huge threats to Konoha, but thanks to him, we not longer have them to worry about.

"That might be true, but there are others." Naruko suddenly shot back. Danzou turned to look back disdainfully at her, but she just ignored it. "There's still the Akatsuki! They-"

"Whose fault would that if they attacked here, hmm? Who would be responsible for more unnecessary deaths and casualties? Just more grief caused by the demon." He spoke calmly, yet his tone was dripping with venom.

The blonde dropped her gaze ever so slightly towards the floor. Shizune, knowing, where it was going tried her best to intervene.

"Now that's really unnecessary."

Danzou talked over her. "It is the truth. That organization is after all nine Jinchūriki, and since they have at least seven of the nine it won't be long until they come to this village seeking the kyuubi's power! In the end it will only cause more destruction to the village. We should have gotten rid of you when we had the chance."

"Now that is enough!" Tsunade stood abruptly. "We do not need that kind of talk here, leave." The elder man grimaced, but reluctantly followed the order. "Of course, Tsuande-hime." With his sarcasm ignored, he bowed and stepped out, Tsunade glaring at his retreating figure the entire way.

"That guy pisses me off." The godaime ran a hand through her tasseled blonde hair.

"It's alright Naruko, just ignore him. He just doesn't realize anything, he is an old goat stuck in the past."

"No, Shizune Onee-chan, I'm alright. I'm used to it by now; I guess it was stupid of me to think that the village had gotten over their feelings of us." By 'us' she refers to herself and Kyuubi. Even though they were both in her body, they were both separate beings; something the village had failed to understand in the past.

"They just like having something to vent their anger out on, the idiots. Tsunade grumbled as she now turned to stare out the window of her office. Shizune looked between the unusual gloomy face of Naruko and the pissed off one of Tsunade. She coughed.

"Naruko, didn't you come here earlier to ask us something?" The woman asked, remembering why she originally showed up.

"Oh yeah!" Naruko's face brightened up. "I was wondering, could I have a mission?" The two women blanched.

"Why? Didn't you just get back from one yesterday? You need time to rest and-" Shizune stopped at the teens shaking head.

"I'm alright, you know that all I need is a few hours of sleep and I'll be fine."

"That's not the point here. I mean, you finally got Sasuke back and you're just going to leave without waiting?"

That's when Naruko had the wave of guilt wash over her, but she shook it off, she has already decided on this break.

"Its not like I'm leaving for a while, all I want is a simple mission that will get me out for a day or so. I'll be back before he wakes up! I just want to chill out and have sometime to think." Tsunade raised a delicate brow.

Naruko looked at her pleadingly.

"Please, Baa-chan! I just want to get out."

"What team would you be with?"

"I wish to go on a solo assignment."

"You want a solo assignment? What about the Akatsuki?"

"Its not big deal since they won't be coming for me for a while. Ero-sennin said so. I'll be fine."

"I see…" Tsunade thought quietly while, always the impatient one, Naruko fidgeted impatiently where she stood. Finally the godaime let out a sigh of defeat.

"What kind of mission were you exactly thinking of?" The teen practically jumped for joy.

"Yay! Thank you Baa-chan!"

"Yeah, Yeah, now hurry and tell me before I change my mind." The older woman was particularly agitated that she was so used to that nickname by now. Naruko stopped her antics to adopt a more thoughtful pose.

"I don't know, maybe a delivery one or something…like to a nearby town or village. One that'll give me at least a day to clear my head on…things" The rooms other two occupants exchanged a quick glance towards one another, somewhat confused by the last comment: what 'things?"' Tsunade cleared her thoughtful before shuffling through mission assignments.

"We have a C rank one. Some monks at a temple between here and Suna have arranged plans for a transfer of a certain artifact, but other black market companies, thieves, and bandits have their eyes set on it.

"Why? It is just some dingy old artifact like a bowl or something?"

"No, it is not a 'bowl or something' and it is not some 'dingy old artifact.' This artifact is rumored to have enormous unknown powers held within it and its brother-"

"Brother? How can it have a brother?"

Tsunade collapsed back into her chair only to stare at the young genin before continuing slowly. "Figuratively speaking of course, its not really, it means they just are the same, except one is already at the temple and that the monks there are waiting for the other so they can be put under extensive care and watch. Those power hungry mongrels who have their eyes on them can't reach it."

"So these monks are waiting somewhere here for a delivery guy?"

This time it was Shizune who nodded and responded.

"Yes, they needed the protection of the village until they could find an able person, so they have all be staying at a disclosed location within Konoha." She explained.

"Well that's great, where are they?" Naruko was feeling happier now; pre-mission jitters sending shivers of anticipation down her spine. Shizune continued on, ignoring the slight interruption.

"As I said, since there are people looking for the item in question, the monks are in a hidden location that only Hokage-sama and I know of."

The blonde nodded, but then went to ask, "What if I'm followed on the way there by an enemy? That could be a problem."

Tsunade leaned forward, elbow resting on the desk which allowed her to rest her head on the palm of her hand. "Yes, that is what we've had a problem figuring out; if we sent someone like Kakashi, Yamato, or one of the other elite Jonin, whoever is here looking for them would be alerted to the activity and catch on." Naruko nodded excessively during the explanation. "Though, if you, a simple hyper active genin are chosen for a simple 'out-of-village' delivery then they'll think nothing of it. Hopefully."

"No one will know of the exact meaning of this mission except us and the monks," Shizune spoke as she wrote something down on a sheet of paper before handing said sheet to Naruko. "Here is the place they are, as soon as you get ready, destroy this note and head over there. We'll send word ahead so they'll expect you."

She nodded ever so eagerly in agreement as she took the location from Shizune.

"Okay, not get going. You do not want to be late." Tsunade waved a lazy hand, signaling the younger's dismissal.

"Hai." Naruko turned to leave, but was called back at the sound of Tsunade's voice.

"Oh, and Naruko," she waited until she once again had the girl's attention. "Don't tell anyone about this mission got it? Not Sakura, Kakashi, or anyone down at Ichiraku; this artifact is important to a lot of monks."

"You got it, not a word." She followed with the movements of zipping her mouth closed and throwing away the key.

"Good, now I will see you back here with that mission report later when you return, dismissed." Tsunade concluded and then the blonde was gone.

"I hope she does alright, she seems a bit distracted." Shizune sighed absentmindedly as she leaned a hand on the desk beside her. "What do you think Tsuna-what's wrong?" She had turned around to see Tsunade looking down at some papers on her desk with a somewhat horrified expression. Shizune walks over to peer over Tsunade shoulder to glimpse at the papers below. "What is it?"

"Shizune." The elder's voice came out somewhat blank.

"Yes?"

"I just won this week's lottery."

* * *

Wow, I am SO proud of myself, chapter 3!! Yay! Lol. ;] It is crazy to say, but with all the computers in my house, none had an Microsoft word. None. Lame right? I've been idling around here without updating. But we've gotten it on this laptop so maybe finally I can get somewhere with these fics. R&R!!! :D

~Aiko~


	4. Chapter 4

Teehee. Next Chapter!! Lol, I am so on a roll, I might actually get quite a few of these chapters typed up. Random topic: that show, 48 hour mysteries, it is crazy! :O I have been sitting here just like, watching all of these episodes in some sort of marathon. Some results seem so obvious while others do not. I don't know, but it somewhat makes me doubt the legal system of the US, but its television, so oh well. :P No legal discussions here!! XD

My friend, Yori, she normally helps me out with proof reading. Well, sometimes, whenever I can get chapters to her. ANYWAY, she is off touring France with her family. La~da~da~! She won't be back for about another week. Anyway, please forgive the many mistakes you may or may not find. ;] lol

Disclaimer: don't own Naruto series, though this fiction is mine :] no matter how crazy the story is, it is mine. Whether you hate it or enjoy it is up to you :]

Regular speaking: "…."

Thoughts and/or emphasis: _"…."_

Kyuubi: **"…."**

* * *

"Hmm, this seems to be the place." Naruko mumbled to no one. She had waited till dusk to set out, and now found herself in front of a closed shop. "I don't think monks are wine sellers, but…" she sighed and walked to the front door of the shop to knock. As she stood waiting, she once again looked around the area of the shop. It was in a semi-desolate part of the shopping district and with it being later in the day there was no one around.

"Hello? Yo dudes, anyone home?" She had been standing outside for almost five minutes and was starting to get a little impatient. She wanted to get started, now where were these guys? "Ugh, maybe Tsunade and Shizune were wrong. There's like no one here."

That was when she heard the several dead bolts behind the door sliding from behind the front door of the shop. _"There they are."_

"Um, hello?"

"You say lady Tsunade sent you?" A bald head appeared in the once empty doorway. His slightly chiseled features and dark brown eyes gave him a firm yet gentle look. He wore simple brown shirt, work pants, and sandals. He wore a dirtied white apron around his waist, no doubt by his working with wines.

"Yes, it is about the delivery-"

"Yes, Yes, come in, but quickly now. Now, it is in here." He ushered her inside very quickly, and once they were out of the doorway the monk replaced the bolts were they once were.

The room was that of the typical drink shop: shelves with bottles of different brands and ages lined the walls. A few tables stood beside the far wall with chairs accompany them, and a counter with the register. Bags and other commodities stood near the other wall. A door, leading to wherever it did was behind the counter.

"This way, miss…" he did not have her name yet.

"Oh, it's Naruko, Naruko Uzumaki." She told him, holding her hand out in a friendly gesture. The man took her hand and returned the hand shake.

"Ms. Uzumaki, my name is Kaito, a monk at the temple. We are very grateful with your help in this matter."

"It is fine, there's no problem." She was eying his outfit; not very monkish. He noticed her curious gaze.

"Oh this?" He gestured to his wine sellers look. "This is just a simple "disguise" or so you say. Your Hokage suggested we lay low for a while as they searched for a suitable nin, so we've been living like this for the last couple of weeks."

"Us?" So there are more of you? How many?" Naruko asked Kaito as he motioned her to follow him to the door behind the counter. He opened the door, revealing it to be a doorway to the basement of the shop, and led them both down.

"Yes, including me there is only three of us remaining."

"Remaining?" This didn't sound to promising. "You mean one of you has been…" She stopped her question, knowing the harsh memories it might bring. Kaito simply nodded sadly and continued.

"Yes, our friend Hibari; the first time we tried transporting it, we were ambushed by some unmarked men, and in the chaos that followed out escape, Hibari used himself to allow us time to escape, but only at the cost of his life."

"I'm so sorry for your loss, I shouldn't have brought it up. Though if I may say, he sounds like he was a truly brave man." They approached the end of the narrow staircase and Kaito once again gave her a small smile.

"Thank you Miss Uzumaki."

"Oh no! Call me Naruko please, Mr. Kaito." She returned his smile with a much warmer one. The atmosphere lightened considerably as Kaito reached out his hand to the door leading to their destination: the basement. Considering the fact that Naruko and Kaito were both standing at the door meant that it was probably locked from the inside. Kaito knocked twice on the door, and quickly afterwards a small panel on the door slid back revealing a pair of hazel eyes.

"It's just me, Tatsumi. I have brought our deliverer."

Tatsumi eyed Kaito before turning his gaze to Naruko who stood quietly beside him; they soon closed, followed by the panel, and the door opened to reveal a small man in stature compared to Kaito. His face was smooth and he too wore similar clothes to Kaito. He still stared warily at Naruko as she stepped into the room, which appeared to be typical of any other wine cellar. She noticed a table sat in the middle of the room; the only source of light being from the many candles scattered around on the shelves and table, giving the room an almost spiritual vibe if you cared to believe in that sort of feeling. What drew in Naruko's gaze to the table was that on side, leaned back rather casual in his chair, was the third monk. Compared to Kaito and Tatsumi, this man was plainly taller by a noticeable few inches. His 'disguise' was a black work shirt and pants, socks with his sandals, and he wore no apron unlike his two friends.

"Naruko, this is Tatsumi," the man by the door gave her a polite nod. "The man at the table is Rivalz." Rivalz also gave her a polite nod at his introduction.

"Tatsumi, Rivalz, this is Naruko Uzumaki and she will be the one to deliver _it._ A simple guess that _it_ was referring to the artifact in question. She Politely nodded in return from earlier.

"How do you do." she greeted.

"Such a delightful girl." Rivalz said quietly. Naruko couldn't help but giggle at the comment.

Then Kaito cleared his throat, drawing attention back to the main focus of them being there.

"Now, I must warn you, there is danger involved upon accepting this mission: a lot of people would love to get their greedy hands on this."

"I know, but I'm going to do my best and you can be guaranteed that this will be delivered. Danger or no danger, Naruko Uzumaki will get this done!" She went into a form of salute.

Kaito and Tatsumi laughed at the younger ones antics.

That's great, but there is something else," Tatsumi spoke to her. "It is true there are dangers, but we are hoping to avoid trouble at any cost."

Naruko tilted her head to the side. "How?"

"While you are carrying the artifact, you will be under the 'guise of actually running a simple wine delivery." This time it was Rivalz who spoke up, though he did not move from his position at the table.

"Wine delivery?"

"This _is_ a wine shop after all, is it not? It is not rare for them to make deliveries to various towns, villages, or in this case, temples." He smiled. "See?"

"Oh, that's smart!" Naruko complimented.

The three monks nodded in thanks before Kaito moved over to a corner of the room, a corner, which the blonde noted, had uneven floor boards. He expectantly pulled one up from the floor and lifted out a small cloth covered box.

"Is that…" Naruko watched as he walked over to her.

"Yes, this is the artifact, now here; let me see your hands."

As he asked, Naruko offered her hands up and received the artifact. He slowly unwound the fabric around the box, and she couldn't help but let out a small gasp. In her hands was one of the most beautiful jeweled, ornamented box that she had ever seen.

"Oh wow."

"Wait until you see what is inside." Tatsumi laughed at her amazed, childlike expression.

"Hmm," She took this as a sign for her to open the box, so she carefully place it in the center of her left palm so she would not drop it while her right hand was brought up to undo the clasp and toss the lid back. She opened the box and if it was possible, her blue eyes grew even bigger. "It is so pretty!" Lying in the clothed interior of the box was what seemed to be a simple amulet: nicely rounded with six perfectly aligned sapphire stones around its being. In between the sapphires, there were six smaller shaped opal stones all leading towards the center of the amulet. The center itself held a dark, almost black stone that balanced out all the rest, leaving it with a remarkable beautiful look as the different stones seemed to dimly glow by the rooms many candles.

"I can see what people would want to take it so bad." She observed.

"I'm afraid it is not looks alone that draw people to it," Kaito explained gently as he reached in the box to carefully take the 'artifact' in his hands. "People are drawn to it by stories of untold power that it holds within itself." He handed the amulet to Naruko who carefully took it by the right hand.

"Are you sure it's this thing?" Naruko tried not to sound rude. "It looks like some fancy necklace to me."

"Only it's not, remember, like many things in this world, you shouldn't judge ones worth by looks alone." The monk explained.

_"Wow, these guys are really great people."_ She couldn't help but to think as she moved to place the amulet back into its jeweled container. Rivalz stopped her.

"No, I think you should wear it." He smiled at her, but herself, along with Kaito and Tatsumi had surprised looks on.

"No, I shouldn't. This is too important and if someone saw it out in the open-"

"They _would_ see someone with a really fancy piece of jewelry. That is smart, hiding it out in the open." Tatsumi nodded understandingly.

"But…" She really didn't understand where it was all heading.

"I think it would be lovely, and it matches your eyes splendidly." Kaito laughed cheerily.

"You would all actually trust me with this important 'artifact?'" It was somewhat astonishing how easy going they were about this matter.

"Rivalz has always been a very good, very unique judge of character when it comes to people. If he says that you should wear it, he trusts you enough to know you are a good person, and I believe in that." Tatsumi explained. "Plus you are a wonderfully polite young lady to begin with."

"Thanks." She shuffled her feet. "What I really don't get is that, well, other people will be looking for this, and while some would think it is a fancy necklace, others who know what it is would be alerted almost immediately."

"Well, no one outside of the temple really knows what this 'artifact' is in general, so they don't know what it is they are exactly looking for."

"They're searching blind?"

"Basically. You yourself also were not expecting it to be this," a gesture towards the amulet, "where you now? You thought it would be different, older, well so do they. I think the least you'll have to worry about would be bandits. Is that alright with you?"

The genin nodded eagerly. This mission was going to be easy and fun if they really had no problems besides those lame, roadside bandits.

"Now, first off," Kaito walked over, and upon taking the amulet from the blonde's hand, he then went behind to drape it over her head and tie the clasp. Naruko felt the cold, additional weight of the metal on her skin, but there was no bother. The gem hung from her neck and rested alongside the necklace she had received from Tsunade.

"Quite lovely indeed." Rivalz complimented.

"Thanks."

"Now, here is how this'll work." Kaito now walked over to one of the shelves, pulling out one of the many bottles were lined along said shelf. "Tomorrow you will leave but I would suggest wearing non-ninja identifying clothing and something more acute to a 'wine deliverer' if you get what I mean."

Naruko looked at him. "Well," he continued, "It would be bothersome if they intercept every ninja on the way to the temple, but like I said- if you were dressed as a civilian just doing a simple errand then you should be overlooked."

"I know you all want to avoid confrontation as much as possible, but really, I can take care of myself and this amulet. Any guy that comes my way wouldn't stand a chance between me and completing the mission." She said confidently.

We have no doubt of that Ms. Naruko-"

"Glad we understand."

"BUT," he continued. "We are very mild, and we would like to have your safety and the amulet's safety guaranteed, but that is impossible so this is the best way to at least put us at ease."

She saw the determined, peaceful looks on their faces and sighed, resigning herself to their plan. "Alright, we'll do it your way."

They smiled. "Splendid. I wish we could accompany you, but that is not really possible at the moment, so Lady Tsunade told us that we should leave a day or so after you." Tatsumi spoke.

"Maybe we'll meet you on the way back." Rivalz joked.

"That is a possibility." She picked up the bottle and absentmindedly fingered the newest addition around her neck. The amulet felt so smooth despite the many gems embedded in it. "I will go prepare now, and early tomorrow I'll start out." She told them as she made her way to the door. "Don't worry I'll see myself out."

"Very well, and thank you so much again for your help in this matter." Kaito and the other monks bowed respectably. She returned one politely before excusing herself for a final time and made her way up the stairs, back to the main floor, and finally out of the shop and into the night.

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Okay, so chapter four typed up so fast…I was sitting here and since it was already written I thought I might as well type it up. Well, forgive the mistakes, if you find any let me know. Reviews on anything are welcomed: Comments, Critiques, Errors, and etc. :] This chapter wasn't TOO long, but it is sufficient. ;]

I guess I don't know when chapter five will be up. That much hasn't been written. I was too busy working on my other Naruto Fic Lost Soul that I never really spent too much time with the others. Lost Soul has over 30 chapters written, but none has been typed up or submitted here yet. Maybe I could post a preview and you guys could see if you found it interesting. ;] Later~~~~

~Aiko~


	5. Chapter 5

HEY! :D sry for the delay~~ O,O things are crazyyyy….AP History is amazing! But so much WORK oh my gawd!! And I thought PRE AP History was hard ;D lol …and band sux now. Yay….but we gotta another game all the way in some random georgia county! Its like a 4 hours bus drive, thank god we got charter ;D we wont even get home till like 2 or 3am at the earliest.. OO hmmm what am I going on about now? Lol XD heehee im sure some of you people can relate, neh? :3

Disclaimer: I don't own naruto…if I did, thinngs would be updated a lot faster ;D

Warning: short chapter, cause…writers block and partial guilt for leaving every good reviewer of mine hanging out. Im taking time out of my study time for you!! That's how much I care, haha

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"The item is unique, powerful, and an enigma to the world. I want it, Hayato." The stern voice addressed the man in black. This "Hayato" was currently kneeled before his employer who resided behind his own desk. Hayato's face was covered by a black mask except only his dark hazel eyes were visable through the tear across the mask. He bore nothing but a symboless plate on the forehead that glinted only slightly in the dim room; the only source of light being the candles lit on the far side of the desk.

"Sir, any evidence of the amulet you seek is almost nonexsisting. Even if its actual existence is in question by many, and if we could find it, there would be a safe bet that it would be heavly guarded."

"That's why you and your team are here. You are the best of the best, correct? I would not have you hired and brought before me otherwise." Ganza shifted in his seat, a shadow cast over his form, hiding him in the darkness not touched by the small light.

"Of course, sir, but as it stands-."

"I don't need excuses Hayato, just results, do you understand me?"

There was a short pause of silence before a resolute answer was given.

"Understood, Lord Ganza."

Ganza could not help but to allow a smirk to play upon his lilps, and by doing so, a long scar, sliced from the bottom of his left ear to the chin under his mouth, was revealed in the dimmness.

"Good, now, fortunate for you I have information on this "untainable amulet." If Hayato was surprised, he never let it show. "Now, I've spent almost thousands filtering through the spy and information networks and the amulet I seek in in the hands of simple monks who are currently residing in the safety behind Konoha's walls."

"Konoha? As in the hidden leaf, Konoha?"

"Who else would it be? The picked a good place to hide, because it is obvious they are well protected there, but I don't think you or your team will have much problem."

"…."

"I have set is so there will be an informant inside the village waiting to make contact, and once you do, he will reveal to you an image of your targets that he has required."

"Alright, but how long are these monks plan on staying in that village? Do they plan on hiring ninjas or another type of guard?"

"That I'm not sure of, but rumor goes they will be hiring a carrier to take it so it doesn't draw attention away from them. I want you to hurry and intercept that amulet before they get a chance to do either." Ganza brought his arms together against his chest, adopting a thoughtful pose, but if you knew the man, this pose was far from thoughtful. He was agitated, restless, and serious.

"Once I have this, we will move in to aquire its twin as well."

"A twin, sir?" Hayato couln't help but allow his words of surprise to stumble out.

"Yes, a twin. When those two items are brought together, enormous power and tragedy are awaken and waiting to be controlled by its master!" Hayato remained quiet. "So, if this is all the information you require, then be on your way, Hayato." Ganza dismissed him with a wave of his hand.

"Sir." Hayato stood abruptly, he brought his arm over his chest, fist balled in a militaristic fashion, and then he stood straight and vanished in a quick step. In the lingering silence of his office, Ganza's ever present smirk grew and widened until he could not contain his laugh from within. It was dark, heavy, and helo no quality of humor at all. What this laugh represented were evil deeds soon to come, and as it died down back to silence, the promise of a darker future was set on the approaching horizon.

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"Im screwing as fast as I can." - the world may never know.

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Well…umm, okay. Not my best okay? I admit it, epic fail, whaaa. But I don't know anymore!! D: lol I ve got like one or two paragraphs for chapter 6, but nothing worth mentioning now. Lol should I say stay tuned for next time? Or please come again? Lol idk, later im off to my studies! :D


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